Books line the shelves of a Nishan House bookshop in Gwangju, South Korea. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The city of Zibo in East China's Shandong province officially established a Nishan House bookshop in Gwangju, South Korea on May 5.

Officials from the two cities, students studying abroad, media representatives, and more than 30 others attended the unveiling ceremony.

The bookstore displayed promotional brochures of Zibo and books reflecting Shandong culture and the city's tourism appeal, attracting much interest from the citizens of Gwangju.

Gwangju is known as the hometown of South Korean ceramics and is renowned for its official kilns. Zibo, on the other hand, is one of China's five major ceramic capitals and has been producing ceramic for over 10,000 years, leading to the catchphrase "Zibo ceramics, a contemporary national kiln."

The two cities have a deep cultural foundation for exchange and cooperation. In September 2003, Zibo and Gwangju officially signed an agreement to establish friendly relations. Over the past 20 years, the two cities have had close exchanges in various fields, such as economy, trade, culture, sports, environmental protection, and youth affairs.

Civilizations are enriched through exchanges and mutual learning. The Nishan House bookshop serves as a gateway for cultural exchanges between China and other countries. It not only promotes the dissemination of Chinese culture worldwide but also shares the achievements of world civilizations, thereby facilitating mutual learning and exchanges between Chinese and other world civilizations with the goal of promoting common development.

With the establishment of the Nishan House bookshop, Zibo will continue to provide Chinese books and promotional products catering to the needs and habits of readers in Gwangju. Meanwhile, Zibo will organize cultural exchange activities at the Nishan House bookshop, teaching the people of Gwangju about traditional Chinese culture and Zibo, a historical city with a rich culture.